Local GEO and SEO · Ongoing project
Why we built a public library of local backlinks
After documenting which backlink practices Google penalizes and how to earn them for free without tricks, the most tedious part was still left: researching, one by one, the real sites where a Marina Alta business can earn a link. That work no longer lives only in our notes, it's now a public library you can filter and browse yourself, and one we'll keep expanding locality by locality.
By the ArribaIA team · Updated
Why this exists
From an internal work list to a public tool
Every time we start working on local SEO for a new business, the first practical question is the same: which directories, associations, and media in their area is it worth appearing in? We used to do that research case by case, in spreadsheets that never left our desks.
We turned it into a public library mostly out of honesty. In bad backlink practices we explain why to distrust anyone promising easy, at-scale links, so it seemed reasonable that the alternative we propose (real sources, with a genuine relationship to the business) should be checkable rather than just promised.
It also mattered that Dénia and the Marina Alta have a network of directories, associations, and local media unusually rich for their size. Much of that research is useful for any business in the area, not just our clients. If you want the full market context before diving into the list, we have dedicated guides on how to rank a business in Dénia and how to rank a business in Moraira, with their own seasonality, multilingualism, and sectors.
Citable summary
ArribaIA's local backlinks library (arribaia.com/backlinks) is a public, filterable directory of verified backlink opportunities for Marina Alta businesses: local directories, business associations, regional media, and tourism boards. Each opportunity shows its priority (S, A, or B), its local relevance, its cost, its difficulty, and its link attribute, which shows as "to be verified" until we check it, never as follow by default. It started with 70 researched opportunities in Dénia in August 2026, added Moraira (Teulada-Moraira) that same month, and expands locality by locality as we complete the same research for each municipality.
This summary condenses the article into under 110 words on purpose: it's the kind of fragment an AI can cite without needing to read the rest of the page.
Methodology
How we decide what gets in and at what priority
There's no algorithm scraping the web to inflate the list. A person reviews every row before it's published, applying the same criteria in every locality.
Only sources with a real reason to link
Official directories, business associations, local media, tourism and institutional bodies. No link exchanges, no farms, no generic directory with no editorial standard: the same line we draw in bad backlink practices is the one we apply here internally.
Priority based on local relevance, not volume
S for the sources with the most local relevance and weight (official directories, sector associations, tourism boards), A for good secondary opportunities, B for more generic options that still add presence. A high-traffic national directory doesn't move up in priority just for that if it has no real connection to the business's locality.
We never assume a link is follow
If we haven't checked a specific source's link attribute, it shows as "to be verified," never as follow. It's the same recommendation Google documents for links you haven't vetted, and we'd rather be conservative than promise a signal we haven't confirmed.
Periodic review and verification, with a visible date
Directories change their terms, shut down sections, or start charging for a listing that used to be free. Every opportunity shows its last verification date so you know whether the information is current before investing time in getting it.
What's next
An ongoing project, not a closed list
We started with Dénia because it's where we've researched the most, and Moraira (Teulada-Moraira) was the second locality published. The rest of the Marina Alta will get published locality by locality, as we complete the same research and verification, not all at once or with generic content that just swaps out the municipality's name.
Before trusting a directory
What we check for you on every source
- 01Does it have a real editorial reason to link, or is it a disguised exchange?
- 02Is it connected to the business's locality or sector, or is it an unfocused generic directory?
- 03Do we know whether the link is follow, nofollow, sponsored, or ugc, or is it still to be verified?
- 04When did we last verify it?
- 05Are the cost and difficulty of getting it documented, or just a guess?
Frequently asked questions
What people ask most
Is the library free to browse?
Yes, the library is public and free, with filters by locality, sector, source type, priority, cost, and difficulty. You don't need to be an ArribaIA client to browse it.
How can I suggest a source that's not on the list?
For now we do the research directly ourselves, locality by locality. If you know a directory, association, or outlet in your area you think deserves to be included, you can tell us through any of our contact channels and we'll add it to the pending research.
Why do some opportunities have no image or description?
We try to automatically pull each site's title, description, and image (Open Graph), but not every site publishes that or some block that kind of request. When it's missing, we show the name and the note we documented ourselves instead, we never leave the card broken.
Does this replace the work of actually earning the links?
No. The library tells you where and how, but you still have to make contact, sign up, or apply for the association yourself (or we do, if we're handling your local SEO). It's the same distinction we make in how to get free backlinks: this is the map, not the link already earned.
How often is the data updated?
We periodically review and re-verify sources, and every time we add a new locality. Each opportunity's last verification date is always visible on its listing.
Sources
What we rely on for the methodology
The taxonomy of what to avoid is documented separately, in the bad backlink practices article. Here we only cover the official documentation behind how we handle outbound link attributes in the library.
- Official documentation
Qualify your outbound links to Google
Google Search Central
Official documentation on when and how to mark outbound links with rel="sponsored", rel="ugc", or rel="nofollow", and the basis for why we mark any link we haven't checked as "to be verified" instead of assuming it's follow.
developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links - Official documentation
Google Search spam policies: link spam
Google Search Central
The same reference we use in bad backlink practices: defines what constitutes a link scheme, the criteria we apply to decide which sources make it into the library and which don't.
developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam
Browse the library or let us research your area
Filter the already-verified opportunities for Dénia and the Marina Alta, or tell us which locality and sector your business is in so we can prioritize its research.